


Something Wicked This Way Comes

by suicider00m



Series: Urban Witch AU [1]
Category: Bandom, Cobra Starship, Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, Panic! at the Disco, Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - No Band, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Bounty Hunters, Fae & Fairies, Gods, Gore, Greek Mythology - Freeform, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Magic, Magical Tattoos, Mild Gore, Minor Character Death, Rituals, Smut, Supernatural Elements, Vampires, Violence, Witches, it's like those crime shows where they find the body but you never really know the person, josh likes to pretend he's one bad motherfucker but deep down he cares, so like none of the tagged characters will die
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-05
Updated: 2016-07-02
Packaged: 2018-07-12 08:35:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7094533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/suicider00m/pseuds/suicider00m
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tyler is an urban witch. Josh is a bounty hunter. A lot of shit goes down.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. OVERTURE

**Author's Note:**

> So this is based on a prompt that I found somewhere online (I don't have the source, sorry) which is basically the entire first paragraph, I just rewrote it a little because I didn't like the original style of it. 
> 
> All the works in this series are based off of prompts and I'll try to source them when I can.

The shop had a haphazard collection of Ikea shelves lined with dusty bottles of oil and sticks of incense shoved recklessly into cups. Tarot cards and candles took up space on the side board and the counter was full of a surprising and mildly disturbing amount of tiny animal heads that were covered in a thin layer of dust. Small cauldrons, wooden boxes, crystals, and buckets of unidentifiable things took up the rest of the space. A small door nearly obscured by shadow sat in the back corner of the shop, unnoticeable unless one knew where to look. 

Josh walked quickly through the shop, tightly clutching the strap of his messenger bag. He ignored the “edgy” teenagers looking at crystals and old hippies trying to find the perfect incense for their group meditation session, nodding at Mark, the obviously bored guy manning the counter. He made his way to the small door in the corner, opening it quickly and ducking inside. Behind the door was an old wooden staircase that spiraled downwards with mining lamps duct-taped to the wall at random intervals in order to light the way. He descended down the stairs, the muffled hum of music and conversation getting louder the farther down he went. Eventually he reached the bottom where a thick metal door blocked his passage forward. When he stepped up and knocked three times, a slot opened and he was met with two glowing red eyes. 

“Password?”

“Let me in, you heartless bloodsucker.”

The eyes disappeared and the slot was shut, but a few moments later the door was opened to reveal a short man in a red hoodie with a fanged grin. “Not the password, but you’re pretty so I’ll give you a pass.”

Josh rolled his eyes before pushing past the man. “Go fuck yourself, Pete,” he called over his shoulder.

“I’ll think of you!” 

He laughed and shook his head as he moved further inside the room. The cavernous space used to be an abandoned bomb shelter, but it had since been converted into a pub of sorts. From the ceiling hung a strange assortment of miner’s lamps, christmas lights, desk lamps taped upside down, and a surprisingly nice crystal chandelier. The walls were covered in layers of posters and papers that had been tacked up by the patrons, advertisements and announcements and even a duel or two. The back wall housed a long bar and the space behind it was shelved from end to end with bottles of strange liquids crammed into any space available. Tables and chairs were scattered throughout the room without any particular pattern, most of them having been moved around to suit the needs of the groups of people. There weren’t many seats available but he was able to find a stool towards the end of the bar, sitting down and waving to get the bartender’s attention.

“Hey, Josh,” the bartender, Frank, said. “Usual?”

Josh shook his head, reaching into his bag and pulling out a tupperware container stained with blood. 

“I’m here to collect.”


	2. ACT I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fucking _witches_ , man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so mild gore warning for this i guess?? i described a dead body pretty graphically so yeah, there's that. idk i'm not super good with triggers cuz i don't get triggered but yeah let me know if i need to add any other tags or warnings or something
> 
> honestly i'm so into this au i have so many ideas for little mini ficlets i'm super excited
> 
> also i'm updating tags as i go so pls check the tags before you read a new chapter

Being a bounty hunter sucked. More often than not Josh would come home at the end of the day covered in blood that may or may not be his, having made just enough money to get through the end of the week. It still paid the bills though, so he couldn’t complain too much. Not to mention he got free drinks from The Hollow, but that was mostly because he occasionally did off-the-book favors for Frank. Most of the time he was gathering weird potion ingredients that weren’t sold in the shop upstairs or harvesting fresh body parts from magical creatures. Occasionally he’d be hired to bring someone in, but he mostly left those jobs to the hunters so as to avoid making enemies. Of course, he’d take the job if it was a hit; dead men don’t make for very threatening enemies. 

Being in a literal cut-throat business meant he did what he had to in order to survive, even if doing so meant putting aside his morality to get the job done. He downed the rest of his Dragon’s Breath and motioned to Frank to pour him another, the warmth offering a pleasant distraction from the cold reality of his mind.

“You hear about Johnny?” Frank asked as he refilled the glass. At Josh’s confused expression, Frank looked around conspiratorially to see if anyone was listening before leaning against the bar with a mischievous grin. “He kicked it boutta week ago. Neighbors found him, a giant hole in his chest. Cops are saying it’s from a shotgun.”

Josh raised his eyebrows and took a long sip of his drink. “What’re you saying?”

“This is why you’re my favorite,” Frank said, smiling wider. “Now, I’m not _saying_ anything, but I’m sure as hell thinking that some shit’s going down.”

“And why would that be?”

Leaning in close with his infuriating grin, Frank stage whispered, “He’s not the first one.”

Josh was invested now. This was a job and a good one at that; more victims meant more people willing to pay for revenge. “You got any offers yet?”

Frank nodded, pulling out a crumpled piece of paper from his back pocket and sliding it across the bar. “Yeah, two already. You better get on it, though. Some kid came in here the other day asking questions. Didn’t look like the hunting type, but you never really know, I guess.”

“Thanks, Frankie,” Josh said, finishing his drink and grabbing the piece of paper, tossing an, “I’ll see you around,” over his shoulder as he walked away. 

As he walked up the empty stairs, he opened the piece of paper in his hand and looked at the two names hastily scrawled: Johnny Andrews and Ruby Angelo. 

 

⁂

 

In hindsight, not checking to see if this Ruby girl had a roommate was a big mistake. Especially considering said roommate had Josh hanging from the ceiling. 

After researching Ruby Angelo as best he could, Josh figured he would have better luck if he could look through her apartment and personal items for some kind of hint as to why she may have been targeted. After getting the address from one of her coworkers at the shop she worked at, Josh headed to the girl’s apartment. He picked the lock easily enough; in his line of work, experience with breaking and entering was an absolute must. Shutting the door behind him, he commenced his investigation.

His first thought was that “broom cupboard” was a more apt description than “apartment;” the place was a single room. A kitchen area took up almost the entire left wall, the only other thing being a door that, upon further examination, led to a tiny bathroom. In the far right corner was a small bed, a dresser against the wall beside it. Despite there being a perfectly suitable bookcase next to the dresser, books were scattered throughout the room on any surface available (including the floor, as Josh found out when he accidentally kicked over a teetering stack next to the door). When he got a closer look, he saw that the bookshelf was crammed full of crystals, herbs, spell boxes, candles, and other various magic ingredients. 

“Fucking witches,” he muttered under his breath.

Really, he should have realized earlier that someone else lived there as the girl had been dead for almost a week but the place showed obvious signs of being recently inhabited. Of course, the one time he fucks up in any way is when it involves _witches_.

He was going through the girl’s underwear drawer (there could be valuable information in there, okay?) when the door behind him opened. He spun around, still clutching a pair of lacy blue panties, and came face to face with a terrified guy who couldn’t be older than 20. They stood frozen, both too shocked to make a move. Josh came to his senses first, reaching for the knife that he kept in his boot. Josh’s movement shocked the kid into action, mumbling words under his breath and starting to… glow? A flash of red and Josh was suddenly on the ceiling. So much for Supernatural not being accurate. 

“Who are you and how did you get past my wards?” the kid - he really wasn’t a kid, though, as Josh was beginning to realize - demanded, stepping fully inside the room and shutting the door behind him.

Josh, being the sarcastic little shit he was, didn’t want to give in to this guy, so instead of answering his questions he replied, “Who are _you_ and what are you doing in a dead chick’s apartment?”

Suddenly, Josh couldn’t breathe. He felt as though he was being crushed to the ceiling, like there was a board covering him and rocks were being added one by one. He noticed the red glow again and realized that it wasn’t the boy himself who was glowing, but rather the symbols on his skin. His eyes, though not as luminescent as the other markings, were a dark crimson color that was slowly becoming brighter as Josh was suffocated further. 

“What the fuck do you know about Ruby?” he spat out, magic seeping into his venomous tone so that every word was like a banshee’s scream. Josh gasped uselessly, his head feeling as though it was about to burst from the strain his body was under. He did his best to choke out the word “hunter” before he lost all feeling in his face and he realized that he couldn’t actually see anything. As suddenly as he had found himself on the ceiling, he was on the floor looking up at the boy, who was - thankfully - no longer emitting red light.

“You’re a hunter?” 

Josh tried to open his mouth, but he found that he couldn’t properly control his lips. He made an attempt at talking, but all that came out was a strangled groan. The boy looked somewhat sheepish, a stark contrast from the fearsome witch that had been trying to kill Josh just moments before. 

“Sorry,” he said, nervously fidgeting with hands. “I didn’t mean to like, almost kill you or anything. I’ve just been really scared recently, with Ruby being killed and all. I guess I just kind of took it out on you?”

Josh tried to shake his head as if to say “it’s cool,” but his head just sort of lolled back and forth and made him too dizzy to continue the motion.

“Umm, yeah, you’re probably going to be like that for a while? Sorry, again. I’m Tyler, by the way.” He giggled. “I’m a witch, but I’m pretty sure you already knew that.” Josh tried to nod at that, but the dizzy feeling came back and with it, nausea. Josh barely managed to turn his head to the side before he puked on the boy’s - _Tyler’s_ \- carpet and promptly passed out.

When he came to he was still lying on his back, but he had been moved to a bed and cleaned of any vomit. His entire body was sore and his head was throbbing, but at least it was better than being slowly crushed against the ceiling. He gradually sat up, trying to blink away the spots at the edge of his vision as he did so. Tyler was in the small kitchen area on the other side of the apartment, brewing what smelled like tea.

“Hey,” Tyler said, smiling at him before turning and pouring tea into a mug. He walked over and sat down on the bed, handing the mug to Josh and saying, “It should help with the headache.”

They sat together in silence as Josh drank the tea, sipping at it slowly. He could feel the magic in it, not as direct as before but still there. It seemed different though, calmer almost; not red. Josh allowed his eyes to drift to the boy next to him and take in his appearance. The markings that had been glowing before were actually tattoos, now solid black against the otherwise smooth skin. His brown hair was shaved at the sides but longer on the top, sticking up as though he was constantly running his hand through it. His eyes were actually a soft brown, no longer glowing red. Josh liked them better this way.

“Are you ever going to tell me who you are?” Tyler asked suddenly, breaking the silence.

“I’m Josh.”

“Okay Josh. Why are you in my apartment?”

“Your apartment?” he asked, confused. “Not Ruby Angelo’s?”

Tyler nodded. “She’s… _was_ my best friend. Her coven rents a house on the other side of town.”

“So the panties…?”

Blushing bright red, Tyler managed to stutter out, “Let’s not talk about those,” not able to meet Josh’s gaze. Josh couldn’t help the smirk that made its way onto his face.

“What I don’t understand,” he said, changing the topic for Tyler’s sake, “is why she said she lived here.”

Tyler blushed harder, which confused Josh even more. “She was going to move in,” Tyler said meekly, “‘cause the house was kinda crowded? But, umm, this thing happened, and, uh, we decided it wouldn’t be the best idea.”

Josh nodded, deciding not to push the topic despite his curiosity as it obviously made the other boy uncomfortable. He placed his mug on the dresser beside the bed, standing up and trying to stretch some of the pain out. He noticed the paper Frank had given him was on the dresser as well, although it had been smoothed out and folded neatly. He picked it up and tucked it in his pocket before turning around to face Tyler.

“Well, I—”

“There are more.”

Josh stared at Tyler, not fully understanding what the words were supposed to mean. “What?”

“There are more,” he repeated. “Victims, that is. And not just magic folk, humans too.”

Josh stared at Tyler, eyes wide and disbelieving. Too shocked to properly process the information, he summed up his disorganized thoughts as best he could:

“Well, shit.”

 

⁂

 

As it turned out, Tyler was the kid that had been asking questions around The Hollow. Josh ended up spending the night at his apartment, the two boys combining their gathered information in an attempt to make sense of the whole situation.

There were six total victims (so far): Zachary Patton, Kyrsten Teel, Laurel Hambledon, Johnny Andrews, Elias Brent, and Ruby Angelo.

Zachary Patton was a junior in high school with average grades and a starting position on the varsity lacrosse team. Kyrsten Teel was a budding novelist who worked as a bartender at a popular sports bar to support herself. Laurel Hambledon was a college student, belonging to one of the school’s popular sororities. Johnny Andrews was a full-time hunter, recently married. Elias Brent was an elementary school teacher who also helped coach the school’s soccer team. Ruby Angelo was a witch who worked part-time as a coffee barista. 

Every single person had a hole in their chest similar to a shotgun wound, but no other signs of trauma. Nothing was taken, not from their corpses nor their homes, and there was no sign of any other person or creature having been present at the time of their demise. There were no major connections between them other than the manner in which they died.

“We’ve gotta be missing something,” Josh mumbled, rubbing his hand tiredly over his face. He looked to Tyler for a reply but found the boy fast asleep. Bathed in the soft morning light with a peaceful expression on his face, Josh thought he could have been an angel. 

Jesus Christ, he had known this kid less than 24 hours and he was already in too deep. He carefully stood up, trying his best not to disrupt the bed and accidentally wake Tyler. He stepped softly toward the door and paused with his hand on the knob as he looked over his shoulder to catch one last glimpse of the sleeping boy. With a quiet sigh he opened the door and left, determinedly not thinking of Tyler as he walked back to his apartment and collapsed into his own bed.

He dreamed of golden skin with glowing tattoos, nervous smiles and warm brown eyes.

 

⁂

 

“Come on, Gabe. Just this one favor.”

_“Sorry, man. I would if I could, but we didn’t do autopsies on any of them. Didn’t think it was necessary.”_

Josh sighed in frustration, taking a drag of his cigarette and letting the smoke out with his words. “Can I at least get a copy of the reports?”

_“Not while the case is open.”_

Josh groaned, letting his head fall back against the frame of the windowsill he was sitting in. “Give me _something_ ,” he said, taking one last drag before flicking the butt away from him. He watched as the glowing ember fell on the fire escape, burning brightly before going out completely.

He could hear Gabe sigh on his end of the line. _“I can get you a list. Friends, family, that kind of shit.”_

“Gabe, you beautiful man,” Josh said, his face splitting into a wide grin. “I knew you’d come through for me.”

_“You fucking owe me, Dun.”_

Josh snorted, standing up from the windowsill and grabbing his jacket. “I’ll come by the station now,” he said before he hung up, not giving Gabe a chance to disagree. It had been a week since the incident at Tyler’s apartment and, subsequently, a week since he had made any progress with the case. He’d be damned if he didn’t make the best of this.

He picked his M9 up off the kitchen counter on his way out, tucking it into the front of his pants after making sure the safety was on (he was _not_ going to take that chance, thank you very much) and arranging his shirt so it wasn’t noticeable. Lighting another cigarette once he was out of his apartment building, he began his trek to the police station.

The station wasn’t a terrible distance from his home, but Josh found himself wishing - not for the first time - that he could afford a car. Unfortunately, that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon, especially considering he couldn’t even afford to use public transport. He briefly considered investing in a bike, or a skateboard at the least, but the more he thought about it the more he realized that he would rather walk everywhere if it meant he could afford his monthly pack of cigarettes. 

He eventually arrived at his destination and made his way inside, easily disappearing in the hub of commotion that was the police station. No one paid any attention to him and that was just how he liked it. He weaved through the bustling cops and arrestees, slowly making his way toward the coffee maker at the back wall where Gabe was pouring himself a fresh cup. Approaching the table, Josh grabbed a cup and began making his own coffee

“Hey,” Josh murmured, just loud enough to be heard by the man standing next to him.

“Hey,” Gabe replied, equally as quiet. From his pocket he removed a folded piece of paper that he placed on the table and slid over to Josh, who quickly slipped it inside his sleeve before anyone could notice the exchange between the two men. Gabe walked away, nodding his goodbye as Josh continued to make his coffee. A few moments later Josh turned around to leave, only to collide into someone.

“Fuck, sorry,” Josh cursed, his quick reflexes the only reason he managed not to douse the person in hot coffee. 

“Josh?” He looked at the person he ran into and met soft brown eyes. Tyler was clutching onto his shirt, practically collapsed on top of him. “Is that a gun in your pants or are you just happy to see me?” Tyler joked, a feeble attempt to dissolve the awkward atmosphere that surrounded them. 

“It’s a gun.”

Tyler chuckled before he saw Josh was serious, his eyes widening at the realization. “Shit, really?”

“I’m a bounty hunter, what did you expect?”

Tyler shrugged, the movement waking him from his stupor. He scrambled back and let go of Josh’s shirt, standing in front of him nervously. They stood staring at each other, ignorant to the chaos of the police station that surrounded them. Tyler looked away first, dropping his head and picking at the sleeve of his jacket. 

“You left.” 

_Damn it._ “I’ve got some new info, if you wanna help me with it.”

Tyler looked up then, light pink cheeks and small smile.

“Yeah, I would.”

 

⁂

 

They ended up at a tiny booth in a quiet(er) corner of The Hollow, Josh doing his best to ignore both the leer on Frank’s face and the way Tyler’s leg was brushing against his under the table. Tyler, as it turned out, also had a friend at the police station and had managed to get the crime scene photos from all but one of the victims. In between photos, Josh looked up to see that Pete had joined Frank in ogling the both of them. 

“I’m gonna get us some drinks,” Josh mumbled, standing up. Tyler only hummed in response, too busy trying to cross reference the new names in order to find a connection. 

Josh weaved his way through the tables scattered around until he reached the bar where Frank was pouring two drinks, he and Pete wearing identical shit-eating grins. Josh swore he had never seen Pete’s eyes glow that bright.

“You’ve got it bad.” 

“Real bad,” Frank agreed.

“Like, so bad that I’m pretty sure a love potion was involved,” Pete said, leaning an elbow on the bar and resting his head on his hand.

Josh glared at him, unimpressed. “I will stake you, motherfucker.”

Pete took it in stride, laughing obnoxiously as he sipped at his drink, a Bloody Mary. Frank placed the two glasses in front of Josh, who was mildly concerned at the mist that was overflowing from the rims. He shot a confused glance at Frank, who smirked and replied with a shrug, “Siren’s Song.” This startled a whole new fit of laughter from Pete, who - by the end of it - was wiping tears from his eyes.

“Are you two done yet or is there more?” Josh asked, arms crossed and eyebrows raised. 

“Sorry, man,” Frank said, obviously not sorry at all. “It’s just, you’ve never worked with anyone before and all of a sudden you come waltzing in here, some pretty boy hanging off your arm? Something’s gotta be up.”

“I’ve known him for a week,” Josh replied. Pete let out a low whistle at his words.

“It’s worse than we thought.”

Josh smiled sarcastically before flipping the both of them off and turning to walk away, only to collide with Tyler yet again. His arms shot out and wrapped around the boy’s waist, steadying them both. He could _feel_ the looks that Frank and Pete were shooting them. Josh chuckled, reluctantly letting his arms drop and taking a step back. “We’ve gotta stop doing that.”

Tyler nodded distractedly, grabbing Josh’s hand and pulling him toward the exit. “We have to hurry,” he said, already racing up the stairs while Josh was barely out of the door. 

“They found another body.”

 

⁂

 

Raynard Platt was a balding man in his mid-30s. He owned a moderately successful jewelry store, was a member of the local YMCA, and was in the midst of packing to leave his pregnant wife when he was murdered. 

Josh, having killed people before, knew what to expect. Tyler did not.

The first thing that hit them was the smell. The sharp odor of shit and piss mixed in with the cutting, metallic scent of blood. There was no escaping it; they tasted it when breathing through their mouths, felt it permeate their skin and settle on them like a noxious layer of grime. Tyler gagged, dry heaving for a minute until he was slightly more acclimated to the smell. 

Next was the body. Despite all the violent video games and gory television shows, seeing the dead man was still shocking. TV shows never have the puddle of blood, piss, and shit that gathers under the body. The skin was purple and blotchy, the hands and feet taking on a blue shade. The man’s eyes, still open, were sunken into his skull. The gaping wound in his chest was almost easy to look at after that, just an unidentifiable mess of red and pink. 

Finally came the realization of death. This human being had been alive just a couple of hours ago; he had a life and people who cared for him, had an effect on the world around him. Now he was just an empty vessel.

Tyler lost it. 

“Josh, oh my god- please, don’t- I can’t- _Josh_.”

Josh pulled Tyler into his chest and spun them around so he was the one facing the dead body. He analyzed the scene before him as he held a shaking Tyler in his arms. They had another 10 minutes before Tyler’s cop friend, Brendon, called this in; he was _not_ going to waste this opportunity. He was starting to feel discouraged as he didn’t discover anything that they couldn’t have gotten from the photos when he saw the dull glimmer in the gaping wound of the man’s chest. 

“Hey Tyler? I’ve gotta take care of something real quick, okay? Don’t move.” He did his best to talk in a soft, soothing voice but it didn’t seem to have much of an effect on Tyler as the boy began to shake even harder, letting out whispered pleas to not leave him. 

Josh gently pried himself from Tyler’s grip and made his way over to the body, carefully stepping around the pools of blood and excrement. Leaning over the body, he quickly plunged his hand in and grabbed at the object, which came out with a slight tug. He stood up and shoved the object, which seemed to be a piece of metal, into his pocket, hastily wiping his hand on his (thankfully, black) jeans. He walked back to Tyler and saw the boy was clenching his eyes shut even though he wasn’t facing the body. With shock, he noticed that Tyler’s tattoos were almost invisible, having faded to an ashen grey.

“Okay, Ty,” Josh whispered, taking Tyler’s hand in his clean one and pulling the boy out of the apartment. “We’re done, we’re not in there anymore.” Even then, Tyler didn’t open his eyes until he heard the elevator door close. They walked back to Tyler’s apartment in silence, holding hands the entire way. It wasn’t until they were inside that Tyler pulled his hand from Josh’s grasp, and it was only to throw his arms around Josh’s shoulders and sob into his neck. 

Josh wrapped one arm around his waist, slowly running a hand through his hair in an attempt to calm him as he murmured soothing words into Tyler’s ear. They stood there, wrapped in each other, for what could have been hours or seconds; time meant nothing to them. Eventually, Tyler’s sobs turned to whimpers, and those turned to silence. Josh had run out of things to say so he hummed instead, a slow, deep melody that Tyler knew but couldn’t quite place. 

“I’m sorry,” Tyler mumbled into Josh’s neck.

Josh ceased his humming. “You don’t have anything to be sorry for.”

Eventually, though neither can remember exactly how, they ended up in bed: Tyler curled up on his side, Josh a comforting presence at his back. The arm on his waist grounded him as he sleepily traced the swirls of color that made up Josh’s tattoo. Before he fell into unconsciousness, he could have sworn he felt Josh’s lips softly press against the back of his neck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'd really love to know what you think of this


	3. ACT II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They're fucked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't think there's anything in this chapter that needs to be warned about? Idk, it's 5 a.m. and I've been up all night writing. Let me know if there's anything I should warn.

Josh woke up to soft brown eyes staring into his soul.

“Sorry,” Tyler whispered. “Didn’t mean to wake you.”

“S’fine,” Josh grumbled, voice hoarse, as he shook his head and blinked his eyes in an attempt to wake up further. As he slowly returned to the world of the living, he realized that he and Tyler were as entangled as two incubi at a Midsummer orgy: legs wound together, Josh’s arms around Tyler’s waist, Tyler’s arms around his neck; Josh thanked all the Gods and Devils of the world that he didn’t wake up with morning wood. For a moment he considered pulling away but decided against doing so, remembering the boy’s emotional distress from the previous day. 

As though he could read Josh’s mind ( _holy shit, could he read minds??_ ) Tyler, voice still a soft whisper, said, “Thanks. For yesterday. I didn’t mean to freak out.”

Josh shrugged as much as he could while they were wound together, offering a small smile. “S’okay, happens to all of us. I pissed myself the first time I saw a dead body.” Tyler giggled, actually _giggled,_ and Josh realized he was totally and utterly fucked. 

“Tell me about it.”

Josh rolled over so he was lying on his back, pulling Tyler along with him so the boy was sprawled half on top of his body. He left one arm around his waist and moved the other so he could gently run his fingers through the hair at the nape of the boy’s neck, letting out a content hum as the arms wrapped around his neck drew away and moved down to trace lazy patterns on his chest. 

“Well, it happened a few years before I got into this whole bounty hunter business. I had spent about three years as a maple tree and another four after partying with centaurs, but I’m sure you don’t want to hear about that…”

He smiled as he was suddenly overcome by a homey feeling that he rarely experienced in his life. Relaxing into the warm aura that surrounded him, Josh allowed himself to fully enjoy the intimate moment without much thought for what the future might bring.

 

⁂

 

“So what is it?”

Josh watched from his seat on the kitchen counter, a warm cup of coffee in hand, as Tyler closely examined the shard of metal. They had slept through most of the day and had lain in bed for the better half of the night so it was close to 2 a.m. before Josh remembered the unidentified object in his pocket.

Sounding unsure of his answer, Tyler replied, “I think it’s… lead?”

“Aren’t you a witch?”

Tyler turned around and gave Josh an unimpressed glare. “No,” he drawled sarcastically. “I’m just a teenager that never grew out of my ‘satanic worship’ phase.” Josh chuckled into his mug, which he had brought to his lips in an attempt to mask his smile. “What I _meant _was, isn’t there a spell that’ll tell you for certain?”__

__“Magic doesn’t work like that.”_ _

__“Yeah, of course,” Josh said, his tone playfully teasing. “It’s not like it’s magic or anything.”_ _

__Tyler huffed and rolled his eyes; Josh tried to ignore how cute he found that. “Unless you practice, you can’t understand it.” Tyler paused, eyes roaming the room as though it contained the words he was looking for. “It’s like being underwater, in a way. When you’re submerged in water, most of the time you don’t feel the wetness, right? That’s how non-magic folk are, they just don’t feel it. Then there are the supernatural ones, the ones that are aware of the wetness but don’t really pay attention to it. They know it’s there and they can always sort of feel it, but for the most part they just ignore it. Unless magic is a part of their lives, they’re as oblivious as humans. Wiccans are the same way as the supernatural, except they actively try to pay attention to it. Then there are the practitioners. We feel not only the wetness, but also the currents and the movement of the water as well as the ripples that other people send off.”_ _

__“So what you’re saying is you’re basically a waterbender.”_ _

__Tyler laughed at the comment, simultaneously surprised but not really; out of all the possible reactions, it just seemed to fit that was Josh’s reply. “Nice reference,” Tyler said, still grinning, “but no. Waterbenders control the water, we just move ourselves within it. It’s like everyone else just kind of floats there, but we swim through it. Sometimes we’re pushed by a current or ripple if it’s strong enough, but most of the time we just move ourselves through._ _

__“Doing spells or casting, it’s like breathing. Like, fish breathe through their gills. They take in the water and use the oxygen or something like that?” Josh nodded. “Well, it’s kind of the same thing. We take in the magic and expel it through ourselves. A lot of the time it can be really overwhelming, which is why wands and stones and all that other stuff is used. The magic is shared between the caster and the items they use so it’s easier on the person. If you have a lot of self-control then you don’t need to use objects or even use a spell so long as the magic you’re doing isn’t too powerful. It’s really dangerous, though, so not many witches do it on a regular basis. If you lose control of the magic, it basically becomes a mini atomic bomb.”_ _

__“So the whole putting-me-on-the-ceiling thing…?”_ _

__Tyler shrugged. “Automatic response, really. Emotions play a large part in the craft since you have to be able to control them, otherwise they might react badly with the magic. I’ve never been good with compartmentalizing, so I wrote some runes and got them tattooed. They sort of divert the magic away from my emotions, keeping them apart so I don’t turn into the Manhattan Project.”_ _

__“I was wondering about them,” Josh said, putting his cup down and sliding off the counter to walk up to the other boy. He reached out and gently ran his fingers along the rings on Tyler’s bicep before letting them slide down his arm, softly closing around the rings on his wrist. Tyler let out a shaky exhale and Josh swore that the black bands grew warmer under his skin._ _

__“They, uh, they glow when I use magic,” Tyler stuttered, “and they fade when— when my emotions are too chaotic.” Josh looked up from his hand around Tyler’s wrist to look at his face, feeling his breath hitch as he stared at the beautiful boy in front of him. Briefly, Josh felt a pang of guilt at the thought that he might be toying with Tyler’s emotions, but he quickly pushed it away. He didn’t even know if Tyler was into _guys_ , let alone some angry bounty hunter that spent too much money on cigarettes._ _

__Their gazes met and Josh began to lean in but Tyler cleared his throat suddenly and stepped back, pulling his wrist out of Josh’s loose grip. He was looking anywhere but at the man in front of him, his hands nervously fumbling together like he wasn’t quite sure what he was supposed to do with them. “We should talk to the victims’ families,” he practically squeaked, before sidestepping Josh and running into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him._ _

__“Nice one, fuckwit,” Josh muttered to himself under his breath. He let out a heavy sigh before going to find the paper that Gabe had given him and grabbed it, quickly making his way out of the apartment while trying to ignore the thought that this escape act of his was becoming rather routine._ _

__

⁂

__

__The next week found Josh at The Hollow, nearly empty besides a few loitering patrons scattered throughout the cavernous space. He was the only person sat at the bar, nursing a beer and holding a bloody cloth to his shoulder as he vented about his current job to a bemused Frank._ _

__“It’s so strange,” he said, tone somber. “So this last guy, Raynard Platt, right? Well, turns out he’s a total douche. His wife just found out she was pregnant and when he found out he told her to get an abortion. She refused, you know, said it was something she’d always wanted, blah blah blah — I don’t understand why people want children, they’re so annoying. So anyway, he decides to leave her, she goes out while he packs and comes back to find him dead. She’s the only one with motive, but she has a bulletproof alibi.”_ _

__Josh finished off the rest of his beer, Frank already handing him a new one before he could put his empty bottle back on the counter. “Hitman?”_ _

__Josh shook his head. “Bank statements don’t match up. No major withdrawals within the past month.”_ _

__“What’s your working theory, then?”_ _

__“Well, at first I thought it might have to do with pregnancies, so I figured Johnny’s wife would be my next best bet. I went to talk to her but she’s not pregnant, says they barely even fucked in the last few weeks before he died. I figured, ‘Okay, dude probably has a mistress or something,’ so I went to talk to one of his buddies, Ethan Harper - I think he comes in here sometimes - and you’re not going to believe what he told me.” A mischievous grin made it’s way onto Josh’s face as he took an extra long sip from his drink just to annoy the man behind the bar._ _

__“Don’t keep me waiting, fucker.”_ _

__Dodging the dishtowel that Frank jokingly whipped in his direction, Josh laughed and looked around to make sure they weren’t being listened in on before continuing. “You know the Summer’s Solstice?”_ _

__Frank’s eyes opened comically wide when he heard the name. “The gay faerie strip club?”_ _

__Josh nodded, his grin growing even wider at Frank’s reaction. “Turns out, Johnny boy’s ‘mistress’ was some stripper by the name of Ryan. Apparently, he told the kid he was in love with him and wanted to be with him, saying he would spoil him and make him happy and all that bullshit. Well, when Ryan actually decided to take him up on his offer, he practically spat in the kid’s face.”_ _

__“So the only common theme is that they’re all dickbags?”_ _

__Josh laughed. “Pretty much.”_ _

__“You figure out anyone else’s deal?”_ _

“The Ruby girl, you remember her? I went to talk to her coven, but I don’t think they took a liking to me,” Josh said, pulling the makeshift cloth bandage away and trying to find a slightly less bloodsoaked part to press to his shoulder. He looked at Frank with an incredibly serious expression. “I fucking _hate_ witches.” 

__“We’re not all bad, you know.”_ _

__After getting over the initial surprise, Josh couldn’t help but smile at the familiar voice that came from behind him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw as Tyler took the stool next to him, softly asking Frank to bring him a beer as well. Josh snorted a laugh and turned to face Tyler, smirking. “The first time you met me, you tried to crush me to death against your ceiling.”_ _

__Tyler rolled his eyes and let out an exasperated sigh, but the annoyed effect he was going for was ruined by his wide grin. “Are you going to hold that against me forever?”_ _

__“Yes.”_ _

__Tyler turned away from Josh before muttering under his breath but loud enough to be heard, “I fucking hate bounty hunters.”_ _

__Frank laughed, loud and obnoxious, and placed Tyler’s beer on the bar. “I know how you feel.” Josh hurled the bloody rag in his general direction but he dodged it easily, blowing a kiss and sending a cheeky grin toward the scowling man before making his way to the other end of the bar where a newly arrived group of patrons now sat. Josh and Tyler sat quietly together, both intermittently sipping at their beers until Tyler let out a loud, frustrated sigh and swiveled his barstool so he was fully facing Josh._ _

__“You keep leaving.”_ _

“If I remember correctly, you were the one that left this time,” Josh muttered darkly, staring adamantly at the wall of liquor in front of him (more specifically, _not_ at Tyler). 

__“I went to the bathroom!”_ _

__Josh didn’t reply, instead choosing instead to continue facing forward and sipping at his beer. Suddenly his barstool was turning of its own accord and he found himself facing Tyler’s dark stare. He noticed as the boy’s tattoos, barely glowing to begin with, faded back to their normal inky black._ _

__“Using magic isn’t fair,” he said almost petulantly, doing his best to match the fierce glare being levelled at him._ _

__“Neither is running whenever things get…” Tyler trailed off, making a frustrated noise and flailing his hand as though that would somehow convey his meaning. When Josh didn’t reply, he breathed a heavy sigh and took a long sip from his drink before he spoke again. “Look, this… thing, between us? It’s not, like, bad or anything. I just think that— I don’t know, with you letting me help on this job—”_ _

“If I remember correctly, I didn’t _let_ you do anything,” Josh said, a small grin on his face and a teasing tone in his voice. “You just pushed yourself into my life.” 

__Tyler smiled and Josh swore he could feel a change in the atmosphere as the anxiety fell away from the other boy. “You didn’t push me back out though,” Tyler said, so quietly that Josh almost missed it. His heartbeat sped up, thudding against his ribcage as though it were trying to break free. It stayed in his chest, thankfully, and he found himself smiling impossibly wide at Tyler._ _

__“I didn’t.”_ _

__

⁂

__

Over the course of the next week, Tyler and Josh slowly made their way through the list of names. After a lot of slammed doors in faces, violent threats, and even a punch to the face (if ever asked, Josh will say that he stepped in front of Tyler out of reflex and _not for any other reason, shut the fuck up Pete_ ), they had one set of names left and still no common themes throughout the deaths. 

__One of Kyrsten Teel’s coworkers said that she kept a fairly normal routine and was well-liked at work. The only somewhat suspicious event prior to her death was a fight she had gotten in with one of the bar’s regulars, which ended with the guy being kicked out. Apparently, he didn’t understand the word ‘no’ so she was forced to give him a better definition. The police had checked out the guy but, like everyone else with a motive, he had a solid alibi._ _

__Lauren Hambledon’s roommate at the sorority house, Jennifer, blamed herself. It turns out that they were more than roommates and, when she had proposed, Lauren laughed in her face. Their relationship was just a casual fling to her and Jennifer was pathetic for ever thinking that she had a chance. Lauren had even gone so far as to start a petition to have Jennifer kicked out of the sorority; after her death, the petition never went through._ _

__Most recently, they had talked to one of the teachers that worked at the same school as Elias Brent. At first she had tried to (badly) act as though they were just workplace acquaintances, but after some pushing on Josh’s part and comforting on Tyler’s, she had told them that she and Brent had been involved with one another, just not romantically. There was a hint of bitterness in her voice and Tyler and Josh gave each other knowing looks; she loved him but he didn’t love her._ _

__They were running out of leads and the stress was beginning to get to them both. Josh just wanted to get payed, but Tyler actually had a conscience and wanted to stop the person - or thing - from killing before more people died. His tattoos, which were normally a solid black, had become a swirling, smoky grey. Josh had tried to comfort him, telling him that if anyone else died then it wasn’t on his head, and at first it seemed to work. Tyler smiled, albeit slightly strained, and his tattoos solidified in color but remained a dark grey rather than their normal solid black; Josh would take what he could get. By the next day, though, his tattoos were back to their previous misty state and Josh felt a physical ache in his chest at seeing Tyler hurt._ _

__“Hey,” Josh said, softly bumping his shoulder against Tyler’s as they walked side by side. “You know I can do this on my own, right?” Tyler turned his head and gave him a tight lipped smile in an attempt to reassure the other boy, but all it did was cause further concern._ _

__“I know,” Tyler said. “But I’d rather you not beat anyone up.”_ _

__Josh chuckled and the boys continued to walk in silence. Occasionally, Tyler’s hand would brush against Josh’s and the fleeting touches would make his breath catch in his throat. Josh internally groaned as he realized just how far gone he was for this kid._ _

__“There it is,” Tyler said, pointing out the diner they were looking for. He grabbed Josh’s hand without hesitation and pulled him along, not letting go even once they were inside the restaurant. In fact, if anything, he seemed to hold onto Josh tighter. He turned to Tyler and raised his eyebrows in question but Tyler only shook his head discreetly and pulled him to a small booth in the corner, sliding in the far side and pulling Josh to sit next to him._ _

“There’s some seriously bad shit going down here,” Tyler murmured, lips less than an inch from his ear and hot breath hitting his neck as he spoke. Josh wondered just what he had done to deserve this torture. “I can feel it,” Tyler continued, seeming to not pick up on Josh’s discomfort. “It’s old and powerful and _bad_. We need to leave before—” 

__“Excuse me?”_ _

__The boys both jumped at the unexpected voice, looking up to see a teenage girl standing in front of them. One hip cocked and eyebrows raised, it was obvious that she was judging them._ _

__“Are you guys going to order anything?”_ _

__It was only then that they realized she worked at the diner, considering she was wearing an apron and had a notepad in one hand and a pen in the other. Josh and Tyler stared at each other for a moment, eyes wide and panicked, before Josh eventually gathered his wits about him and turned to the girl with a smile. “I’ll have a coffee, plain, and my boyfriend will have a vanilla milkshake.”_ _

__The girl scrawled the order down and walked away, tossing a bored, “Your order will be out soon,” over her shoulder. As soon as she was gone, Tyler and Josh held a furiously whispered conversation between themselves._ _

“Boyfriend? _Really?_ ” 

__“I panicked!”_ _

__Tyler rolled his eyes. “Whatever, it’s not important right now. We need to get out of here, that girl is giving off bad vibes.”_ _

__“Is she the thing you were talking about before?” Josh asked, subtly reaching for the gun in the front of his pants._ _

__“No,” Tyler said, a confused expression on his face. “It’s not coming from her, but it’s, like, around her? Sort of like an aura. I’m pretty sure she has something to do with it, whatever it is.”_ _

__“Okay, so we’ll kill her.”_ _

__“Josh!” Tyler shrieked, attracting the attention of the questionable waitress and the few other customers seated around the diner. Tyler awkwardly smiled and everyone eventually stopped staring at him, going back to their earlier business. Josh noticed that the waitress kept shooting them suspicious glances, and his grip on his gun tightened slightly._ _

“We are _not_ going to kill her,” Tyler whispered, glaring furiously at Josh. “Or anyone else for that matter!” 

__“What’s your plan then?” Josh snarked. Honestly, he was getting a little frustrated with Tyler’s morality. This whole thing would be so much easier if he could shoot people._ _

__“I—”_ _

__“Here’s your order, also I’ll hex you if you try to kill me,” the waitress said, setting down their drinks on the table and then sliding into the booth across from them. Josh read her nametag, which dubbed her as ‘Mona.’ “Now, if you would kindly tell me what the fuck is going on, that would be greatly appreciated.”_ _

"Well,” Josh began, ignoring Tyler, who was frantically shaking his head beside him. He figured they were already totally fucked so he might as well just throw himself into the fire. “Something’s been going around killing people. Six victims and not a single connection. We’ve been investing the vics and one of them, a kid by the name of Zachary Patton, worked here. We were going to come in and talk to the employees, you know, try to get a feel for who he was, but when we walked in my human ouija board here picked up on some seriously dark vibes, some of which come from you. So if _you_ would like to explain what the fuck is going on, then that would be greatly appreciated.” 

__Tyler was staring at the table with wide eyes, a shocked look on his face. “We’re so dead,” he whispered, shaking his head. Josh, still holding onto his hand, gave it a reassuring squeeze as his other hand pulled his gun from his pants and aimed it under the table. He left the safety on, not sure which direction this might go; he didn’t want to shoot this girl if he could avoid it (it was only because he didn’t want to deal with the aftermath, okay? Nothing to do with Tyler)._ _

__“That’s not right.”_ _

__“Excuse me?” Josh asked, not quite sure what he was hearing. It wasn’t often in his line of work that people admitted to their crimes, so it was understandable that he was thrown for a loop._ _

__Mona let out a frustrated sigh, crossing her arms and leaning back in her seat. “What you’re saying isn’t right. Zach was the only person, something else must have killed the other people.”_ _

__“Let me get this straight,” Josh said, his confusion obvious. “You are freely confessing to the murder of one of your coworkers?”_ _

“Oh, _I_ didn’t kill anyone,” she said, a smug smirk on her face. 

__“Oh God,” Tyler whispered, realization dawning on him as he turned to Mona with a sense of urgency. “What did you summon?”_ _

__She tightly pressed her lips together, still smiling that smug grin of hers. By that point, Josh was fed up. He pulled his hand from Tyler’s and used it to click the safety off and cock the gun, watching with satisfaction as Mona realized her situation and her pompous expression gave way to fear._ _

__“Start talking.”_ _

__

⁂

__

__“We’re fucked,” Josh said, chain smoking from his seat in Tyler’s windowsill._ _

__“So fucked,” Tyler agreed._ _

“Out of all the things it could have been, it had to be a fucking _god_.” 

__“So fucked,” Tyler repeated._ _

Josh shook his head, flicking away the butt of his cigarette before pulling a new one from his pack. “What I don’t understand,” he said, mumbling around the cigarette held between his lips as he lit it and took a long drag, “is why a fucking teenager thought it would be a good idea to summon an ancient Greek god just to kill some guy that rejected her. Like, I did some bad shit when I was that age, but I never did something like _that_. Did you ever do something like that?” 

__Tyler shook his head. “Ne— well, my prom date kept pressuring me to let him fuck me so I turned him into a toad.” Josh snickered. “I turned him back after a week though.”_ _

__They fell into silence, both lost in their thoughts. Josh couldn’t help but think of all that had just happened._ _

__Mona sang like a bird when a gun was pointed at her. Apparently, Zach had laughed in her face after she had confessed her crush to him and he then proceeded to tell all of his friends. They had tormented her relentlessly for weeks until she’d had enough and decided to seek vengeance. She had found her grandmother’s grimoire in her attic a few months back and had been practicing ever since, just casting basic spells and hexes. She had found a spell to summon ancient Greek gods, and even though it was way out of her ability, she had decided to try it. After doing some research, she decided to summon Anteros, the punisher of unrequited love. Miraculously, everything had gone according to plan and she had gotten her revenge._ _

__Unfortunately, being some stupid teenager that had no idea what the fuck she was doing, she didn’t cast a binding spell on the god. Therefore, when he had finished the job he was summoned for, Anteros was not required by her order to return to the heavens. He had stayed on Earth instead, taking vengeance on heartbreakers by killing them. It was pretty fucked up._ _

__“This is pretty fucked up,” Josh said, voicing his thoughts. Tyler hummed in agreement, on the floor and lying on his stomach, his brow furrowed as he read the book in front of him. Josh wasn’t quite sure why he wasn’t lying on his bed but he didn’t point it out, instead tossing his cigarette butt out the window and going to lie on the floor as well, on his back and next to Tyler._ _

__“Okay,” he said. “Let’s think about this. If this guy is the ‘avenger of broken hearts’ or whatever, then why haven’t more people died? Like, people get rejected every day, so why only these six?”_ _

__“From what I’m reading, I think it has something to do with the manner of rejection,” Tyler said, not bothering to look up from his book. “There’s this legend about Timagoras and Meles. Apparently, Timagoras fell in love with Meles, and the guy told him to jump off a cliff or something? But Timagoras actually did and he ended up dying. Anteros supposedly came and struck Meles with one of his arrows so when Meles saw the other guy’s body he felt super guilty and threw himself off the cliff too.”_ _

__“I didn’t realize how old the ‘gay people always die’ cliche was,” Josh muttered sarcastically, smiling at the soft chuckle he managed to pull from Tyler._ _

__“But seriously, I think it has to do with whether or not they’re nice when they reject someone’s love. It would make sense— well, more sense than anything else about this whole thing.”_ _

__Josh nodded as Tyler turned the page and continued reading._ _

__“There’s not a lot about Anteros, as that’s the only myth about him. He’s referred to as the ‘anti-Eros,’ apparently they’re brothers or something. He has a bow too but his arrows are made of lead, which would explain the piece of metal you found.”_ _

__Josh hummed in agreement, still not able to wrap his head entirely around the situation. “So basically, everyone was killed because they rejected someone’s love?”_ _

__After a few moments of silence at his question, Josh looked over at Tyler and was shocked to find him shaking almost violently. His eyes were wide and unseeing as they stared at some point on the carpet and his tattoos had almost disappeared entirely. “Tyler?”_ _

__“She told me she loved me,” he whispered. “I told her I didn’t like her like that but that I still loved her as a friend. She spat in my face.” He looked at Josh, tears streaming down his cheeks. “It’s my fault, Josh. I killed my best friend.”_ _

__Josh pulled Tyler into a hug, holding the boy close as he sobbed. He was at a loss for what he should do so he settled for repeatedly murmuring, “It wasn’t your fault, Ty,” in the hopes that if he said it enough, Tyler might believe him. The boy abruptly pulled back, gasping desperately as though he were choking. His hands were clutching the fabric of Josh’s shirt so tight that Josh couldn’t move away if he wanted to._ _

“You can’t leave me,” Tyler choked out. “Not tonight, don’t leave me alone, Josh, _please_ —” 

__Josh hushed him as he pulled him back in, letting the boy bury his face in his neck as he shook with sobs. “I’m not going to leave you, okay? I know I’ve left before but I’ll stay, I promise. I won’t leave you, Ty, I won’t.” He felt as Tyler nodded, his breathing slowly becoming less erratic and his sobs subsiding until he was just silently crying. Suddenly, Tyler giggled._ _

__“Why are we lying on the floor?”_ _

__Josh laughed._ _

__“I have no fucking clue.”_ _

There was a moment of complete and utter silence before they both cracked up, shaking with laughter. It really wasn’t that funny, but after the day they’d had, they needed it. Tyler had started crying again (but this time from laughter) and Josh was in actual pain, but they couldn’t stop themselves. Eventually they calmed down and, still softly chuckling, sat up. Tyler rubbed at his tear-stained cheeks, a sharp contrast to the wide grin on his face, and met Josh’s gaze, giving him a weak but _real_ smile, and Josh couldn’t help himself. He leaned in and kissed Tyler. 

__He kept it light, just a gentle pressing of their lips, and pulled back after a couple seconds. Tyler sat still, staring at him with wide eyes and a blush on his cheeks. Josh stared back, neither of them moving forward or away. Eventually, the edges of Tyler’s mouth began to turn up and Josh breathed a quiet sigh of relief before returning the small smile. Tyler stood, offering a hand to Josh to pull him up, and then led the both of them to his bed._ _

__Much like the first time they had slept together, they ended up with Josh pressed to Tyler’s back. His arms were wrapped around the boy’s waist and head buried in his neck, their ankles crossed beneath the sheets. Josh was just beginning to nod off when Tyler spoke, his voice barely a whisper._ _

__“What are we going to do?”_ _

__Josh placed a soft kiss on his neck before replying._ _

__“We’ll figure it out.”_ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lmao this is so bad??
> 
> anyways yeah sorry the updates are so spaced out, the chapters take a while to write and I've got another chaptered fic I'm working on atm. I've actually got a shit ton of ideas and I've already written snippets for the last chapter, so that should hopefully be posted within a week or two.
> 
>  
> 
> hmu @ twentyoneboyfriends on tumblr


	4. ACT III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It felt like both a beginning and an end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it. The last chapter. It's longer than the other ones, so enjoy :)
> 
> Also please let me know if there's anything that I missed in the tags.
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> WARNINGS:
> 
> Tyler and Josh have sex. It's pretty great. 
> 
> Tyler cuts his arm as part of a ritual so I'm not tagging it as self harm, but please be wary of that while you read. 
> 
> There's a lot of violence in this chapter.

“Josh.”

“Hmmm…”

“Josh, wake up. I think I found something.”

“Tyler, please,” Josh mumbled, still half asleep. He curled around himself as the blankets were pulled off of him, groaning in annoyance. He opened his eyes to see the boy sat on the edge of the mattress next to him. Tyler had to physically restrain himself from laughing at the grumpy expression on Josh’s face. “What.”

“I think I know how to deal with Anteros,” Tyler said, eyes wide and body practically vibrating in excitement. 

In that moment, Josh honestly couldn’t have cared less. All he wanted was to go back to bed with a cute boy in his arms and pretend that he didn’t kill people for a living, but by then he was too awake to fall back asleep so he simply sighed and gestured for Tyler to continue.

“It’s called the ‘Olympic Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram.’ I think if we summon the god, bind him inside the ring, then perform the ritual, we should be able to send him back to the heavens or wherever he’s from.”

Josh sat up and smiled at Tyler, who had a shy but proud grin on his face. “Fuck, Ty, you’re amazing.” He swung his legs off the bed, pausing to press a chaste kiss to the corner of Tyler’s mouth before standing up and moving to the kitchen. Even across the room he could practically feel the heat emanating from the boy’s blush. “So how does it work?” he asked, rooting around in Tyler’s cupboards to try and find his coffee.

Tyler stood up and walked over, opening a cupboard Josh _swore_ he had looked in and handing Josh the coffee grinds with a teasing grin before hopping up on the counter. “Well,” he began, “we start by summoning him, which is really just an animal sacrifice. From there, I’ll trap him in the ring using a binding spell, which is easy enough. Then I’ll do the banishment. It’s kind of complicated since it runs purely on my energy, but—”

“Wait,” Josh said, leaning against the counter as he waited for his coffee to finish brewing. His face had paled and he was staring at Tyler with wide, concerned eyes. Tyler looked back at Josh, confused.

“You said it runs on your energy, right?” Tyler nodded. “Well, doesn’t that mean you’ll basically be an atomic bomb just waiting to explode?”

Tyler sighed, not meeting Josh’s eyes. “Josh, listen—”

“No,” Josh said, adamant. “Don’t do that. Don’t say my name like that. We’re not doing this, not if you’re going to be risking your life like that.”

“What the hell is with you?” Tyler asked, indignant. “You haven’t had a problem throwing me in dangerous situations before, why do you suddenly care now?”

“I’ve always cared, you dumbass!”

“Really? What about the diner? You were perfectly happy to kill yourself and me with you.”

“That’s not the same thing—”

“Of _course_ it’s not the same thing,” Tyler said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

“It isn’t!” Josh yelled, coffee completely forgotten. Tyler was startled into silence by Josh’s outburst, clearly not expecting the man to raise his voice at him. Josh sighed, running a hand over his face before looking up at Tyler with tired eyes. “I do that for a living,” he said, voice back to it’s regular volume. “I kill things, I know _how_ to kill things. Witches, vampires, werewolves, the occasional demon or two, even. I can kill those. This? This Anteros guy? I can’t kill him, which means I can’t protect you.”

“I don’t need your protection—”

“I know,” Josh said, a smile making its way onto his face. “Trust me, Tyler. After that whole ceiling thing, _I know_. But I got you involved in this, and I can’t let anything happen to you because of that.”

“I was involved in this before you ever came along. With Ruby—”

“Is that was this is about? Do you think that your death will make up for hers?”

Tyler let out a frustrated sigh, looking away from Josh. “No! I— I don’t think so, anyway. I just, I owe it to her to set the score straight. I have an obligation to do this.”

“You don’t, though,” Josh said, moving so he was in between Tyler’s legs. He braced his arms on either side of the boy, leaning in until their foreheads were resting against one another. “Neither of us do. We don’t have to do this. We could pack up, head to a different city, leave this whole mess behind. We don’t have to be the heroes.”

Tyler smiled and Josh could feel the wetness from the boy’s tears on his own cheeks. “You can’t always run away, Josh,” he whispered, voice cracking. 

“I can as long as it’s with you.”

They were kissing again. It was a mess, Tyler was still crying and Josh couldn’t stop shaking, but that didn’t stop them from pressing into each other further, gripping each other as tight as they could. Eventually they pulled away, panting brokenly. Josh moved to wipe away Tyler’s tears and the boy leaned into the hands that came to cup his face, eyes falling shut as thumbs gently brushed across his cheeks.

“I can’t let more people die,” he whispered. “It’s not right.”

Josh nodded, sighing heavily. 

“So what do we need?” 

 

⁂

 

“Ceremonial dagger?” Tyler asked, reading off the piece of paper in front of him.

“If you’re talking about the pocket knife, then check,” Josh replied. He was on the floor, helping Tyler take inventory of his on-the-go casting kit.

“Blood bowls?”

“There are some tupperware containers?”

“Good enough. Organic materials?”

“What?”

Tyler sighed and rolled his eyes. “Herbs and shit.”

“Oh, yeah. Check.”

“Lighter and tea candles?”

“Yup.”

“Paper and pen, chalk, spray-paint?”

“Yes, yes, and yes.”

“Mirror?”

“Check.”

“Hand sanitizer? Tarot deck?”

“Yeah, both.”

“Okay,” Tyler said, folding the list and placing it in his pocket before sprawling out on the floor. “You talk to Pete about the deer yet?”

Josh nodded, shoving Tyler’s bag away and lying down next to the boy. “Yeah, said he can’t promise that there won’t be a pint or two of blood missing, though. What next?”

“Nothing left on the to-do list except ‘die together.’“

Josh made a displeased face. “Let’s get shitfaced instead.”

 

⁂

 

They managed to scrounge up a half empty bottle of rum and a few sodas to mix it with, pouring their drinks into coffee mugs as they couldn’t find any cups. Josh couldn’t help but snicker every time he caught a glimpse of the “#muglyfe” decal on Tyler’s mug. They spent hours just drinking slowly and talking, both having a pleasant buzz going on by their third drinks. Josh found himself staring at Tyler a little too intently one too many times, thankful that Tyler wasn’t sober enough to catch it.

“I just don’t get it, you know?” Tyler was sitting across from Josh, hands gesturing so wildly that Josh worried Tyler might spill the drink in his hand. “Like, I can never seem to get away from it. No matter how hard I try to fly under the radar, to live a vaguely normal life, I just always seem to get pulled back in.” He took another sip of his drink before continuing.

“I always manage to find the most dangerous people and pull them into my life. My last boyfriend was a necromancer— don’t give me that look, I didn’t know! Anyways, my last boyfriend, necromancer. My best friend, part of a powerful coven. Fucking— you! You’re a fucking bounty hunter!” He sighed. “I just, I don’t know why I’m never attracted to the _peaceful_ people.”

“It’s human to seek out the dangerous,” Josh said, shrugging. “We want an exciting life or a heroic death.”

Tyler nodded thoughtfully before raising his glass in a toast. “To an exciting, albeit short, life,” he said, grinning. “To the next five years!” 

“We may not make it that long,” Josh noted before raising his glass as well. “To the next year!”

Tyler giggled. “To the next month!”

“To today!”

“To right now.”

Neither quite knew how it happened, but suddenly they were kissing. Tyler was on top of Josh and he vaguely registered dropping his drink but he didn’t care because the way Tyler’s mouth was moving on his was sinful. Tyler was in his lap, grinding down desperately and softly whimpering against his mouth as Josh’s hands grabbed his ass and pulled him down harder. He pulled away and Josh took the opportunity to latch onto his neck, sucking and biting at his throat until he was sure he’d made a mark that would last. 

“Want you to fuck me,” Tyler said, hands tangled in Josh’s hair. “Need it, need _you_.”

Josh stumbled to his feet, pulling Tyler up and dragging him to the bed. They were messy kisses and fumbling hands, Tyler trying to pull Josh’s shirt and pants off at the same time. Josh laughed before yanking his shirt over his head, letting Tyler focus on undoing his pants and shoving them down. He moaned softly as Tyler mouthed at the bulge in his boxer briefs before gently pushing the boy away, kicking his jeans the rest of the way off his legs.

When he turned back to Tyler, the boy had removed his shirt and was working on getting his own jeans undone. Josh smirked deviously before grabbing the waistband and pulling both his jeans and Tyler’s briefs down and off his legs. He laughed at the indignant squeak that Tyler let out before he found himself being pushed on his back, Tyler staring up at him from between his legs. The boy took the waistband of his boxers in his teeth and began to drag them down, all the while making sultry eyes at him. However, they got caught around his knees and Tyler was laughing too hard to continue to try and continue pulling them down with his teeth.

He pulled them the rest of the way off with his hands before climbing on top of Josh, grinding against him. Their mouths met again, but they were both smiling too much for it to be a proper kiss. Instead they just giggled against one another, touching and rubbing and savoring the warm feeling of skin on skin. Eventually their laughter died down and they were kissing, deep and slow, before pulling away, panting softly with foreheads pressed together.

“Are you clean?”

Tyler smirked. “In more ways than one.”

Suddenly, he wasn’t on top of Josh anymore. The majority of his weight was resting on his shoulders, pressed to the bed, as the rest of it was held up by Josh’s arms wrapped around his waist. His legs were hanging in the air above him, making it so he was almost folded in on himself.

“Josh, are you— oh, _fuck_.”

Josh chuckled before continuing to eat Tyler out, burying his face in his ass and licking over his hole with broad strokes and quick flicks. Tyler moaned brokenly, trying to push himself off the bed and further onto Josh’s mouth as Josh began properly fucking him with his tongue. Tyler’s cock was dripping onto his chest and he was just about to reach for it when Josh pulled away, chuckling at the needy whine Tyler let out. 

“Lube?”

“Top drawer.”

Josh stood up to find it and Tyler almost cried. He felt ridiculous, Josh was in the same room barely three feet away, but it still felt too far. He found himself crawling off the bed, pushing Josh back against the dresser as soon as he turned around and taking the head of his cock in his lips. Josh swore loudly and dropped the lube, arms braced against the top of the dresser as his knees nearly gave out from beneath him. 

Tyler gently sucked at first, occasionally rubbing the tip of his tongue at the slit and staring up at Josh with wide, innocent doe eyes the entire time. He kept eye contact as he took Josh’s entire cock in his mouth, not choking once as the head pressed at the back of his throat and he began to move his head. Josh threw back his head, not bothering to muffle his moans resonating throughout the apartment. One of his hands was in Tyler’s hair, fingers running through the short strands and he looked down to see—

“Shit, Ty, pull off— you gotta pull off, fuck—”

Tyler had managed to grab the dropped lube and open it, pouring some onto his fingers and fucking himself open while blowing Josh. He sat back with a proud grin, hips still gently rolling back onto his hand. Josh closed his eyes and tilted his head up, doing his best not to look at the filthy boy between his legs. When he was certain he wouldn’t come, he opened his eyes to see Tyler still staring at him with that smug smile. He had removed his fingers from his ass, _thank God_ , and was sat on his knees, his cock hanging between his legs and leaking precum. 

Josh picked Tyler up and carried him bridal-style the few feet to the bed where he softly tossed the boy onto the mattress, the both of them giggling at the action. Josh climbed up and situated himself between Tyler’s legs, thumbs rubbing soft circle into his hips as he leaned down to kiss him sweetly. They stayed like that for a while, gentle kisses and innocent touches, until Josh moved his hands to Tyler’s thighs and pushed them up a little, moving closer so his cock was flush against Tyler’s ass. 

Tyler snickered. “Missionary? Really? Is it prom night as well?”

“Wanna see your face when I fuck you,” Josh murmured, and with that the entire atmosphere changed. Tyler chewed on on his bottom lip, shy despite the fact that Josh’s tongue was inside his ass and his mouth on Josh’s cock mere minutes ago. He blushed and looked away; he felt too vulnerable to meet Josh’s eyes.

Josh softly kissed along his jaw, ending with his lips pressed softly against the corner of Tyler’s mouth. He lifted Tyler’s legs up further, pressing the head of his cock at Tyler’s rim but not pushing in. Tyler whined, high-pitched and desperate, trying to push himself back on Josh’s cock. 

“Look at me, Tyler,” Josh murmured. “Want you to look at me.”

Tyler opened his eyes to find Josh’s only inches away and that was when Josh finally moved, pushing in entirely in one thrust. Tyler threw his head back and keened, his whole body shaking. Josh stilled with his hips flush against Tyler’s ass, giving them both a minute to adjust. Tyler was still shaking when Josh started to move, at first short, shallow thrusts that became deeper and harder as he adjusted to Tyler’s reactions. 

He felt like he was floating, and he was: the bed was hovering a few inches off the ground, like the rest of the furniture in the room. Crystals and spare change were whizzing around, weaving in between the books and coffee mugs that were floating in midair; Josh didn’t notice anything was amiss until he saw that Tyler’s tattoos were burning a bright blue, and even then he chose to ignore it in favor of fucking Tyler into the mattress.

“Josh, I’m— ‘m close,” Tyler stuttered out, eyes shut tight and hands fisted in the sheets. Josh felt a surge of pride that Tyler would come just from his cock. He fucked into him harder, leaning down and lying on his elbows so he was hovering over Tyler, who wrapped his arms around Josh’s neck to pull him even closer. He could feel himself drawing close as well, nearly there. 

“Look at me, lovely.”

As he came with a gasp, Tyler opened his glowing blue eyes and the room exploded. The furniture fell to the floor with a crash and all the floating objects were hurled in random directions, the ceiling above the bed cracking in a long, jagged line. It was complete and utter chaos. Josh came almost right after Tyler began to clench around him. He buried his cock in Tyler’s ass, slowly circling his hips as both he and Tyler came down from their high. Eventually, he pulled out of Tyler and rolled off the boy, lying next to him and staring up at the ceiling in confusion.

“Did we do that?” he asked, out of breath, referring to the large crack.

Tyler nodded, still too blissed out to be completely coherent. Josh took it upon himself to clean them up, wetting a washcloth with warm water and cleaning the cum off their bodies. He did his best to wipe at the cum dribbling out of Tyler’s ass, ignoring the twitch of his cock at the way the oversensitive boy whimpered and quivered at the rough touch of the towel. Once he was finished, he tossed the rag somewhere onto the floor among the rest of the mess.

He lay back, one hand behind his head and the other wrapped around Tyler’s waist. The boy curled up against his side, a leg tangled between his and an arm thrown across his chest. His head was on Josh’s shoulder, eyes closed and still breathing heavily. Josh almost thought that he had fallen asleep until he spoke.

“Maybe it’s the lack of sleep, or how hard it is to breathe, but something makes me want to die with you.”

 

⁂

 

“You look confident,” Tyler noted, voice shaky.

“And you look like you’re about to die.” 

He gave Josh a look that was a strange combination of annoyance and fear.

“Don’t worry,” Josh said, reaching for his hand and giving it a squeeze. “Nobody’s expecting much from you.”

“Is that supposed to be a pep talk?”

Josh winced. “Sorry.”

Tyler just shook his head and pulled Josh into the abandoned house. They had scouted it out earlier in the week, emptying the living room once they had deemed it worthy. It was far enough from the city that they wouldn’t be interrupted by any random people. Unfortunately, that also meant that they were too far away to call for help. Tyler tried not to think about that too much, instead focusing on spray painting the pentagram and sigils on the dusty wooden floor.

“Pete left the deer out back, want me to go bleed it?” Josh asked, leaning in the doorway between the living room and the kitchen. 

“Please,” Tyler replied, pulling the tupperware container and pocket knife out of his bag and tossing the items to Josh. “Don’t forget to pull out the guts and stuff.” He went back to spray painting, going over the design four times before he was satisfied with it. He set about setting up his materials, placing his candles and herbs accordingly. He looked up as Josh came back, a blood-filled tupperware container and entrails in hand.

Tyler took the blood while Josh carried the remains to the fireplace, setting them on the floor and beginning to prepare the alcove for a fire. Once Tyler was finished setting all his items up, he turned around to see Josh had already gotten a small flame going, blowing on it softly so it would catch quicker. 

“Lighter?”

At his request, Josh tossed him the lighter and he caught it with a fumble. He proceeded to go around the room and light his tea candles, as well as burn the herb bowls he had set up with the exception of the ones in the pentagram. Within a few minutes, the room was completely ready and the fire was burning hot, and all that was left to do was to go through with the whole thing. 

Tyler and Josh stared at each other for a moment before crossing the room toward each other, meeting in a tight embrace. Tyler did his best to push back the tears that were threatening to spill, burying his face further in Josh’s shoulder. They stood for an eternity in a moment before pulling back, leaning forward once again but this time to meet in a sweet kiss. Eventually they pulled away, Tyler quickly moving to wipe his eyes.

“I wish you would leave,” he whispered, not meeting Josh’s gaze.

“I’ve left you too many times already,” Josh murmured. “I’m not going to fuck up when it really matters.”

“Once I bind Anteros—”

“Yeah, I know. He can’t hurt you once you’re inside the finished circle, but he can hurt me. I’ve gotta keep him busy so you can banish his ass, though.” He softly kissed Tyler’s forehead. “Look on the bright side. At least it wasn’t more witches.”

Tyler made himself smile at Josh’s pathetic attempt at humor. “Just, don’t die, okay? I’d like to not get involved in Necromancy if I can avoid it.” Josh chuckled then, and even though Tyler knew it was forced, it still made him feel better. For just a few more moments, they could joke and laugh and pretend like they weren’t hanging off a cliff by their fingers; they could pretend everything was going to be alright.

Tyler took a deep breath before pulling away from Josh, wanting nothing more than to run back into his safe and comforting embrace. Josh took his place in the kitchen doorway, ready to duck for cover if needed. He had his gun loaded and ready to fire at a moment’s notice as well as knives in various holsters on his body. He couldn’t help but wish he had smoked a cigarette before they began the ritual.

Tyler grabbed the pocket knife and the tupperware container with deer blood, making a cut on his upper arm and letting the blood drip into the box. Once he had enough he took a scrap of fabric and tied it around the wound. He’d tend to it more later; if he survived, that is. Holding onto the container and knife with one hand, he used the other to toss the deer entrails into the fire, muttering, “Ἀντέρως, Σας προσφέρουμε αυτή τη θυσία.” [Anteros, I offer you this sacrifice.] The fire burned brightly for a moment before calming back down, and Tyler felt a presence standing behind him. 

He turned around and lashed out with the knife, giving the god no time to make an advance. As the golden ichor dripped from the wound, Tyler gather a few drops in the container and mixed it with his fingers, shouting, “Ἀντέρως, Σας συνδέονται με το σώμα και την ψυχή μου!” [Anteros, I bind you to my body and soul!] He felt the moment the spell took hold, feeling the anger of the god surge through his veins.

For the first time, Tyler got a proper look at the god and felt his breath catch. It was _Josh_ , except it wasn’t. It was Josh’s body, but it wasn’t right; there were no scars or flaws, everything that made the real Josh perfectly imperfect was gone. In his place was a doll, a glowing version of the bounty hunter that put a foul taste in Tyler’s mouth. He nearly vomited when he saw the eyes of the god, entirely black and filled with cruelty and maliciousness. Tyler clenched his jaw and snuck a look at Josh, the _real_ Josh, who was looking at Anteros with a similar expression of horrified disgust. Tyler guessed that Josh saw some too-perfect version of him, and he sent a quick prayer for strength before quickly pouring the blood mixture along the outline of the pentagram. 

He felt it before it actually happened. Anteros lunged for him. Before he could get close, though, he was pushed off balance by a gunshot to the shoulder. Tyler briefly glanced at Josh, who had tears running down his cheek but steady hands and a hard stare. The god recovered and began to move towards Josh, and Tyler finished the circle and stepped inside. He closed his eyes, letting the magic run through him. He felt as his body began to hum with the energy, his tattoos starting to glow a bright, brilliant white. 

“Ἀπὸ τοῦ Ὀυράνιου Πυρός, Ἐις τὴν Ὑδρόεσσαν Ἄβυσσον, Κατὰ Χθόνιον Ὁδόν, Κατ’ Ἀιθέριον Ὁδόν. Ὀμφαλῷ ἀεὶ μένων. Ἔστω!”

[From Celestial Fire, to Watery Abyss, by Way of Earth, by Way of Air. Abiding always in the Center. So be it!]

Josh had shot at Anteros twice more but it only seemed to slow down the god for a moment or two (and piss him off further). Josh had made his way through the kitchen and into the dining room, pushing over an old rotten table in an attempt to slow the god further, but he just shoved the table out of the way as though it was a pebble in the path of a giant. Josh was backing up through the hallway that led to the entryway and opened into the living room, gun raised and trying to keep Anteros at bay. 

He couldn’t fight the god, but he also couldn’t risk bringing him back towards Tyler. He had a sudden idea of what to do and immediately cursed himself for thinking of it. Some days, more often than not recently, he _really_ hated his job.

Tyler walked to the East, raising his arms and looking up to the sky. “Ζεῦ!” [Zeus!] He felt the surge of energy, like a lightning bolt had hit him. He lit the herb bowl he had placed earlier with the lighter and called out, “Ιδού, ο τόπος αυτός καθαρίζεται από την Air, που προστατεύονται από μαίνεται ανέμους την καταιγίδα του Θεού!” [Behold, this place is purified by Air, protected by the Storm God’s raging winds!]

Josh emptied half his clip into the god before turning suddenly, sprinting up the scarily unsteady staircase and only hoping that Anteros would come after him. He realized that the god did indeed follow as he found himself slammed into a wall, blacking out for a moment and dropping his gun.

Tyler walked along the edge of the ring until he reached the next herb bowl to the South, once again raising his arms and looking skyward as he called out, “Ἥφαιστε!” [Hephaestus!] The responding energy was like an anvil striking his heart. He flicked the lighter, lit the herb bowl, and cried out, “Ιδού, ο τόπος αυτός καθαρίζεται από τη φωτιά, που προστατεύονται από Blazing σιδηρουργείο του τεχνίτη!” [Behold, this place is purified by Fire, protected by the Craftsman’s blazing forge!]

Josh managed to grab the knife from the inside of his jacket, pulling it out and stabbing blindly behind him. He felt as burning hot blood fell onto his hand and it took everything he had not to let go of the knife and instead yank it upward. An unearthly howl came from the creature behind him and he was no longer pinned. He had lost his grip on his knife but he couldn’t be bothered to care, pushing away from the wall and blindly running down the corridor.

Tyler was facing West, calling out, “Δημήτηρ!” [Demeter!] The magic began in his feet, slowly growing and filling him with a renewed sense of energy. He lit the bowl and called to the sky once again. “Ιδού, ο τόπος αυτός καθαρίζεται από τη Γη, η μητέρα που δέχεται και καθαρίζει όλα!” [Behold, this place is purified by Earth, the Mother who accepts and cleanses all!]

Josh had almost made it to the end of the hallway when he was grabbed by his throat, lifted up, and thrown through a wall. Covered in plaster and dust, still choking from the grip that had been around his neck, he couldn’t breathe. He watched, powerless to fight back, as Anteros advanced on him.

To the North, Tyler cried, “Περσεφόνη!” [Persephone!] He felt as the energy cycled through his body, only ever touching half of it at once and leaving the other half cold and barren. He lit the last herb bowl and called out for the final time, “Ιδού, ο τόπος αυτός καθαρίζεται με νερό, που ρέει δάκρυα του τάφου της Περσεφόνης!” [Behold, this place is purified by Water, flowing tears of grave Persephone!]

He moved to the center of the circle once again, focusing on keeping the energy within the circle.

“Ἓν τὸ Πᾶν.” [All is one]

Anteros was thrown back for a moment. 

Tyler focused to his front. “Πρόσθεν, Ἀθηνᾶ.” [Before, Athena.] 

Josh grasped desperately for the knife in his boot, coughing at the dust and debris that filled his lungs.

Tyler focused to his back, “Ὄπισθεν, Διόνυσε.” [Behind, Dionysus.]

He managed to grab hold of the handle but couldn’t stand or prepare to fight before Anteros was in front of him.

Tyler focused to his right, “Ἐπιδέξια, Ἄπολλον.” [On the right, Apollo.]

A hand was around his throat again.

Tyler focused to his left, “Ἐπ’ ἀριστερά, Ἄρτεμις.” [On the left, Artemis.]

In a last ditch effort, he stabbed at the god’s leg hoping to throw him off balance.

Tyler focused his energy inward. “Περὶ μὲν γὰρ φλέγει τὸ Πεντάγραμμον, Ἐντὸς δὲ λάμπει τὸ Κηρύκειον.” [For around flameth the Pentagram, and within shineth the Caduceus.]

_At least I’ll be able to die looking at Tyler’s face._

“Ἀντέρως, Σας εξορίσει!” [Anteros, I banish you!]

Tyler glowed pure white and everything fell away.

 

⁂

 

Everything was milky white and grey, smothered in plaster and ash until nothing was left but silence and cold. Josh was staring up at the sky, watching as the dust swirled around like snow. It was strange that he could see the grey weather, especially considering he had last been on the second floor of a house with a roof. As his vision began to clear more and more, he realized that he was, in fact, still inside the house, but on the first floor. There was a gaping hole in both the roof and the second floor, which he must have fallen through. No wonder he was in so much pain. 

He sat up slowly, wincing at the constant, excruciating aches. He gave himself a quick once over and deemed that nothing was broken (or broken too badly, at least) and that he was not in danger of imminent death. His breaths were raspy and pained, the thick dust in the air making breathing all the more difficult. He dragged himself over to a wall, leaning back against it and shutting his eyes for a moment. Not only was his body in pain but now his head was throbbing too. He resisted the urge to slam his head against the wall as that would only make his headache worse. 

Looking around, he realized he was in the living room, the spot where he had fallen through being the same as where Tyler had drawn the pentagram. He began to panic, the fear crawling up his throat and tearing its way out of his mouth in a broken and strangled scream. He dragged himself back to the pile rubbish he had just come from, ignoring the sharps stabs of pain as he frantically dug through the debris trying to find his… his— trying to find Tyler. 

He continued digging but found nothing, and for a moment he felt the cool, soothing feeling of relief. Tyler had gotten out. But then he began to realize: the bright flash of pure white light, the decrepit state of the house, no sign of Tyler anywhere; Josh was not often a very emotional person, but in that moment he couldn’t help but begin to sob. The one good thing he had finally found in his pathetic excuse for a life was gone, and it was _his fucking fault_.

He threw his head back and screamed. He screamed profanities at anyone and everyone, cursed his existence, begged for Tyler to come back; he screamed until he could taste blood at the back of his throat and his voice was nothing more than a whisper. Even after he went silent, he still mouthed the boy’s name over and over again in a silent apology, head buried in his hands.

_Tyler. Tyler. Tyler._

_Josh._

He thought of how Tyler said his name.

_Josh._

_Tyler._

_Josh._

_Tyler._

“Josh!”

He looked up to see a— to see _his_ broken, beautiful boy, stumbling through the doorway from the kitchen. He fell to his knees in front of Josh and sunk into him, sobbing as he clutched him so tight that Josh thought he might do more damage to him than the fall from the second floor. Josh held Tyler just as tightly, though, crying as they fell back onto the floor together. Neither of them spoke for a while, too overwhelmed with everything to try and talk. Eventually, though, Tyler broke the silence.

“I thought I had lost you,” he whispered, voice wrecked, and Josh felt as every single piece of his heart that had previously been intact just shattered. He did the impossible and held Tyler tighter, pressing a hard kiss to the side of his head.

“Promised I wouldn’t leave you, not when it matters.”

 

⁂

 

Together they took the day, shoved it in a hex box, and pretended time didn’t exist. Tomorrow would see Josh collecting his payment from Frank and Tyler fixing the mess that was his apartment, but at that moment the two very tired boys simply fell into bed and held each other close. As they lay entwined, Josh took a moment to look around the once unfamiliar room, a strange feeling akin to closure settling in his chest. He gazed at the kitchen sink filled with too many mugs, the countless books that were scattered about, and the shelf cluttered with far too many magical ingredients for a single witch; the wide crack in the ceiling and the sigils sharpied on the walls, coffee stains on the carpet and his lighter on the windowsill. He looked at the boy in his arms, already fast asleep, and he couldn’t help the smile that accompanied the realization he was _home_.

It felt like both a beginning and an end, and he decided it could be both.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading this. I worked really hard on this and I hope you all liked it.
> 
>  
> 
> Just some notes:
> 
> The Olympic Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram is a legit thing. I tweaked it a lot to fit the story but yeah, it's pretty cool. 
> 
> Anteros is an actual Greek god. He's considered the 'Anti-Eros' but he doesn't appear as a fucked up version of someone's lover (I just added that in there because dramatic conflict). He appears much like Eros (also know as Cupid) but with butterfly wings.
> 
> If anyone's wondering about Tyler's tattoos: they glow red whenever he's doing magic _against_ something, blue when he's doing magic _with_ something, and white when he does neutral/correcting magic (is he's working against something, but that something is bad or throwing things off balance).
> 
> The panties will make an appearance in the future :^)
> 
>  
> 
> I'll be posting more to the series in a week or two. I won't write a sequel but rather a collection of one-shots that capture moments in Tyler and Josh's domestic life. I've got some other fics that I'm going to update before I post anything new, but keep an eye out for more stuff in the AU :)  
>  
> 
> hmu @ twentyoneboyfriends on tumblr


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